Reference
Immigration Glossary
Common US immigration law terms, listed A to Z.
A
- A-Number
- The Alien Registration Number assigned by USCIS. It identifies an individual across every immigration record and is used to track a case.
- Adjustment of Status
- Becoming a permanent resident from within the United States, without leaving to apply at a consulate abroad.
- Advance Parole
- Travel authorization that allows an applicant with a pending I-485 to leave the United States and be readmitted.
B
- Beneficiary
- The person on whose behalf a petition is filed — the individual who would receive the benefit if it is approved.
C
- Consular Processing
- Applying for an immigrant visa from outside the United States, through a U.S. embassy or consulate.
D
- DACA
- Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. An executive policy protecting individuals who entered the United States as children from removal.
E
- EAD
- Employment Authorization Document. The card that permits its holder to work lawfully in the United States.
- EB-1A
- The employment-based green card category for individuals of extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business or athletics. No employer sponsor is required.
- EB-1C
- The employment-based green card category for multinational executives and managers transferred to a U.S. affiliate of their employer.
- EB-2
- The employment-based green card category for professionals holding an advanced degree or possessing exceptional ability.
- EB-3
- The employment-based green card category for skilled workers, professionals and other workers. It generally requires PERM labor certification.
- EB-5
- The immigrant investor program: a green card through investing in a U.S. enterprise and creating jobs. The minimum investment is USD 800,000 or USD 1,050,000.
F
- Final Action Date
- The date in the Visa Bulletin from which USCIS may take final action on a case with that priority date.
G
- Green Card
- The Permanent Resident Card. Its holder may live and work in the United States permanently.
H
- H-1B
- The temporary work visa for specialty occupations, requiring at least a bachelor’s degree. Registration runs each April and the regular cap is 65,000.
I
- I-140
- Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers — the employment-based petition an employer files with USCIS on an employee’s behalf.
- I-485
- Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status — the form used to apply for a green card from inside the United States.
- I-526E
- Immigrant Petition by Regional Center Investor — the EB-5 petition filed by an investor through a regional center.
- I-765
- Application for Employment Authorization — the form used to request an EAD.
L
- L-1A
- The nonimmigrant visa for transferring a manager or executive to a U.S. affiliate of a multinational employer. Extendable to a maximum of seven years.
- L-1B
- The nonimmigrant visa for transferring an employee with specialised knowledge to a U.S. affiliate of a multinational employer. Maximum of five years.
N
- NIW
- National Interest Waiver. A petition under EB-2 that waives the labor certification requirement, granted where the work is shown to benefit the national interest of the United States.
- NOID
- Notice of Intent to Deny. Issued by USCIS before a formal denial, giving the applicant an opportunity to submit rebuttal evidence.
O
- O-1
- The nonimmigrant visa for individuals with extraordinary achievement in the sciences, arts, education, business or athletics.
P
- PERM
- Program Electronic Review Management. The labor market test an employer must complete before filing an EB-2 or EB-3 green card petition for a foreign national.
- Petition
- An immigrant or nonimmigrant application filed with USCIS, usually submitted by an employer or a family member on the beneficiary’s behalf.
- Premium Processing
- A USCIS service that shortens adjudication of eligible filings to 15 business days for an additional fee (approximately USD 2,965).
- Priority Date
- The date a petition was formally filed. It fixes an applicant’s place in the visa queue; a case may proceed once the priority date is earlier than the cut-off in the Visa Bulletin.
R
- RFE
- Request for Evidence. A request from USCIS for additional documentation during adjudication, which must be answered within the stated deadline.
T
- TEA
- Targeted Employment Area. A rural or high-unemployment area under the EB-5 program, carrying the lower investment threshold of USD 800,000.
U
- USCIS
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services — the federal agency that adjudicates immigration and citizenship applications.
V
- Visa Bulletin
- The monthly bulletin published by the U.S. Department of State showing the movement of priority dates across the employment-based and family-based categories.
W
- Waiver
- Relief from a ground of inadmissibility or from an application requirement — for example, the I-601 waiver used to overcome certain grounds of inadmissibility.
A term is a starting point, not an answer.
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